One of the greatest stories of dedication in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 1. There we learn about the prophet Samuel’s mother and the trial she endured in the lead up to her famous son’s birth. God gives us these examples for our benefit and, as a young person in God’s Church, there is much you can learn from the dedication of Hannah. Let’s look at this time in Hannah’s life and consider how we can build that sort of God-Family dedication today.

Just west of Jerusalem was the peaceful town of Ramah. This is where the prophet Samuel was born. Samuel’s father, Elkanah, had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Polygamy was far more common in Old Testament times than it is today, and having two wives creates real problems in a family. Additionally, Hannah was barren—unable to have children (verse 5).

This was an incredible trial for her, and Peninnah’s constant provocation was not helping. It reached the point that Hannah “wept, and did not eat” (verse 7). Her husband loved her deeply: “… Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?” (verse 8).

Yet, her emotional state grew worse, and she took the problem to God in the temple at Shiloh: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore” (verse 10). She had prayed to God throughout her trial. This time, though, she went a step further, promising to dedicate the child to God and His Work if only He would provide her with a son. She promised that he would take a special vow called a Nazarite vow (verse 11).

The description of the Nazarite vow is found in Number 6:1-21. Her son would not drink alcohol and a razor would never touch his hair; he would never approach a dead body. These things were simply outward signs though. The real significance of the vow was that Samuel would be separate. The Nazarites “separated themselves unto the Lord” (verse 2). In other words, if God would respond to Hannah’s plea for a son, she would completely dedicate him to God! How could God not respond to a prayer like that?

Her voice was heard.

The name Samuel means “heard of God.” Hannah received her beloved son—but what else did that prayer produce?

Samuel revived the nation of Israel! Consider what these times were like. Under Eli and his family’s priesthood, the nation was morally bankrupt. Throughout the times of the judges, everyone “did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Samuel institutionalized godly religion in Israel, helping to rebuild the priesthood and establishing David as the king of Israel—the royal line from which the Messiah would come, and a throne that exists in Great Britain to this day. In Hannah’s praise of the miracle God delivered, she gave one of the most powerful prophecies in all the Bible, found in 1 Samuel 2, telling about the resurrection and the time when God’s people will become the pillars of the Earth. Even today, our educational institutions are modeled after the colleges established by Samuel in Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. All of this was possible because of Hannah’s dedication to God and her willingness to give her son to Him.

In the Former Prophets, Gerald R. Flurry wrote, “Hannah dedicated Samuel to God, and that young man accomplished marvelous things. What will happen if you dedicate yourself to God? Wonderful, magnificent things will happen in your life! It’s all a matter of whether or not you dedicate yourself to God. Develop that yearning to be a part of the God Family that will govern the World Tomorrow! Let God build within you a deep desire to help Christ rule the world!”

If we want to have the sort of accomplishments Samuel did, one way to accomplish that is by dedicating ourselves to God while we are young. Samuel lived in the temple from the time he was a child. God spoke to him directly even as a child.

You have something in common with Samuel, an advantage most people never have: a parent in God’s Church devoted to supporting the end-time Work. Your parents have taken the steps that Hannah took, dedicating themselves to God’s Work and bringing you to God as a young person. Look to their dedication just as Samuel looked to the dedication of his mother, Hannah, and became one of the greatest leaders ever to serve in Israel.

Will you give that sort of energy and enthusiasm to God’s Work as a young person today? Let’s be inspired by the examples of dedication set by Hannah and Samuel.